To supply the Ukrainian Air Force with more fighter jets, the U.S. has brokered a deal. Poland will give all its MIG-29 fighters over to the U.S. at an airbase in Germany. The jets will then be supplied to Ukraine. The Wall Street Journal writes:
The Polish government on Tuesday said the planes “are ready to deploy—immediately and free of charge.” The aircraft would be flown to the American Ramstein air base in Germany, where they would be at the disposal of the U.S., Poland’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
The Polish government called on other members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization with MiG-29s in their inventory to follow its lead and asked the U.S. to provide Poland with used combat planes to replenish the capability lost by relinquishing the MiGs.
The Wall Street Journal
Russia has warned that delivering the jets to Ukraine would be a provocation. Politico writes:
Ukraine flies the MiG-29 and has suffered heavy losses since Russia invaded late last month. Top Ukrainian officials have since asked other countries that operate the jet to transfer their MiG-29s, since it would mean minimal training for Ukrainian pilots.
By transferring the planes to American custody rather than directly handing them over to the Ukrainians, the Polish government sidesteps the logistical challenge of getting the jets over the border.
Poland will likely receive used F-16 fighters from the U.S. to backfill for the jets shipped to Ukraine.
